Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Shadow and Steel
by SteampunkSword
Summary: In the world of Pyra, a series of strange fissures prompts investigations into the causes. When the occurrences become more frequent and entire towns begin to disappear, the inhabitants begin to explore the fissures as a human-turned-Pokemon discovers the source.
1. Chapter 1: Starting Point

Chapter 1: Starting Point

Pokémon around the world called it Steel City, the 'Epicenter of the Mechanical Age'; a description for the city of the largest collection of the continent's steel forges. The city was located in the mountain Mt. Flame, a large mountain on the north side of the continent, carved out from the inside. While mostly rock and steel Pokémon made their home there, many types lived there for jobs or simply passing through. As a result, it stood as one of the largest trading hubs on the continent.

The major attraction was the main smithing area in the city called The Forge. It was a large sphere carved out the inside of the mountain consisting of rings of steel platforms that created floors in the room. Dozens of furnaces were located on each floor with pipes lining each of them, connecting the floors together or connecting to other areas of the city. In the morning, fire Pokémon billowed the flames of the forges to heat them up, while steel Pokémon readied themselves for smelting the metal. All types of Pokémon found their use for metal smithing, but steel types were found the most useful in the craft appropriately enough. During the day rock Pokémon delivered daily shipments of rock and ore that were smelted and forged into various shapes and sizes, ranging from steel panels to construction materials to weapons and items for exploration teams. As for the specifics -

"I've read this a bunch of times now!" A thud echoed in the small room as a book bounced off the floor; the title "Metal Smelting – A History" labeled across the cover in footrunes. A small bed laid in the corner, with a simple table and a bookshelf on the opposite wall. "I don't know why pops won't let me..." The source of the voice came from a small Pokémon sitting on the floor, a Larvitar. He folded his arms and looked crossly at the book he tossed across the floor, as if expecting it to talk back to him. He watched it for a few more moments before sighing, dropping his arms, and getting to his feet. He looked around a moment before opening the door and walking out.

The room was part of the house he lived in: three rooms cut into the mountain. It was a modest space, but it was more than enough for him and his father. As for the room itself, there was a small kitchen and table, enough for them to cook meals. A water pipe extended out of one of the walls with a simple valve on it. After a quick check of the kitchen, the Larvitar guessed his father was at work again before he opened the door and walked out of the house.

The sound of talking Pokémon immediately assaulted him: the voice of thousands of Pokémon at the trading post. He lived at the very top of the Trading Post, and as such was a short walk to most of the city's areas. Closing the door and making a right, he walked through a small crowd of Pokémon, and took the tunnel labeled 'The Forge'. The tunnel lightly dulled the din of the city, but only grew once more as he made his way to the top of The Forge. He walked to the railing of the small overlook and looked down, trying to find his father. A pair of Pokémon haggled prices from one of the vendors. The clang as a steel type Pokémon forged a new part. The heat wave as a blast of air was pushed into a forge. The Larvitar scanned the area and after a few moments found his pops at his usual station, making his way down the sets of stairs.

After working through the crowds, he found his father talking with a pair of Pokémon, nodding on occasion and talking. Getting bored from waiting, he inched closer to eavesdrop on them.

"- can definitely be done." His father. "You requested five of them?"

"Yes. 'Ere's the payment for them and we'll be back in two days to get 'em." The Scizor of the group handed him a small bag of Poké, and the Bisharp took it and counted through. Comfortable with the amount, he nodded at them. "Many thanks for working on such short notice Winard."

"No problem, and thank you for your business." The pair of Pokémon nodded at him and walked away. After waiting for them to leave, the Larvitar walked up to his father.

"Hey pops." He said. The Bisharp turned around at the sound and smiled lightly at him. His father, a Bisharp, cared for him ever since he was small. He worked as a metal smither and was one of the most famous ones; his speciality was items for exploration teams, but he rarely denied requests of other types.

"Hello kid. What brings you by?"

"Nothing, bored. Another request?" He nodded his head in the direction the Pokémon left in.

His father nodded. "Yeah. They wanted items specifically made for their exploration team. Paid a hefty amount to have it done fast." He shrugged. "So, did you study your smithing techniques?"

While the Larvitar was annoyed at some subjects with his father, he knew he cared for him. It didn't make it any easier though. "Yes," He replied.

His father looked pointedly at him. "Oh really? Then at what temperature does a Quilava have to heat it's breath to - "

"Okay fine, I didn't read that part again." Tarvir cut him off, and his father faintly smiled at catching him. "But I mean I've read it like what, three times now? I mean I know how to hit the metal, how to heat it, how to shape it. Mostly. That's good enough to start practicing, right?"

Winard sighed. "Tarvir, look," His father sat on a stool near his smithing table. "You can't 'mostly' do something if you want to make a good career out of it. You need to know a lot of small details if you want to be good, and you need plans for when something goes wrong, because it will go wrong. This is why I want you studying right now, and why I'm trying to teach you smithing," He shifted in his seat. "You need to be prepared for any of situation in this field. When you are ready, we can start practicing, but not yet."

Tarvir frowned, but he understood what he meant. "Fine. Then can I ask something?"

"Of course, what is it?" Winard replied, waiting patiently waiting.

"When can I start learning how to explore? I've asked before, but thats what I really want to do still!" Winard's patience visibly broke at those words, eyes flaring and mouth forming into a frown.

"No, you're too young. Not for a while, so just practice your smithing." Tarvir saw he looked visibily upset at the question. He hoped for a better response, or even an answer, but left it alone. One thing he learned about his father was some things were best left alone.

"Okay, I understand." Tarvir said, and found his father looking a little less tense.

"Good. Now, if you want to do something a bit safer, how about joining me on a trip?" Tarvir did perk up at this.

"You and I are going with a friend of mine." Winard clarified. "I need to get materials from Spirerock Town tomorrow for a request. Seeing as you want to get out for a bit, I figured you could join me." Tarvir looked excited at the prospect, and nodded enthusiastically. "Good. Tomorrow, we'll set out. Head home for now and start getting ready. As for tonight, I have a few things I need to finish, so I will be back later."

* * *

 _Drip. Drip. Drip._

In a cavern tunnel at the top of Steel City, the sound of rain echoed along the walls. Vertical shafts lined one of the walls, letting feeble sunlight through the tunnel. A small metal half-pipe extended through each shaft leading outside, catching the rain falling from the storm clouds outside. They stretched across the floor of the tunnel to the opposite wall where they emptied into another pipe that lined the tunnel.

"Yeah, looks like its starting to rain again Ramph." The voice belonged to a Rhyhorn standing in the tunnel, looking out one of the shafts in the cavern wall. Storm clouds were clearly visible in the sky, and rain fell down into the half-pipes where they flowed into the tunnel. And as far down the tunnel as the Rhyhorn was, the sound of The Forge was almost entirely silent.

The Rhyhorn did not stand out brightly from the tunnel rock, but still had distinguishing features of his own; various marks and scratches scored his rock hide, with one of the many spikes broken off.

His partner sighed, a Ramparados. "Guess we're stuck here another night." One of the rarer types of Pokémon, the blue-striped Ramparados brightly stood out from the gray rock. A visible frown was on his face, an expression mirrored by the Rhyhorn standing next to him. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it doesn't rain over the city?" The Rhyhorn looked over to him.

"The rock absorbs the water so unless you plan to stop the rain clouds, that won't happen."

Ramph thought a moment, and sighed. "Yeah, you're right Rhyl. I just wish for once we didn't have to spend the day once again moving mud and rocks."

Rhyl nodded. "So do I, but we need to do it," He looked down the tunnel pointedly. "Come on, we got to go check the north side of the tunnel and make sure nothing collapsed." Rhyl trodded along with Ramph following behind. A water irrigation system was built to funnel water from the mountaintop down into the city, where constant fresh water filled the storage. As a result, two job positions were created for a pair of Pokémon to inspect and maintain the integrity of the irrigation system at the mountaintop and to report any issues to the city. The two Pokémon enjoyed the job, but there were moments were they had to truly work for their pay.

 _Crash._

A bolt of lightning crashed outside, echoing loudly through the tunnel as the two continued to walk down it while the outside storm picked up intensity.

"So Rhyl, did you hear the latest news from the Mountain Exploration Division?" Ramph asked Rhyl.

"No, and it better not be another great discovery like the 'rare gemstone' that turned out to be an Sitrus Berry with mud on it," He retorted. Ramph chuckled and shook his head.

"That was just some excited new member who forgot what one looked like," His expression turned more serious. "No, it's about the fissures." At this, his partner looked up at Ramph. "You remember the cracks in the ground near Sanddune City? They said they ripped the ground apart into a fissure. Luckily, they only went a bit into the city, so only a few buildings were damaged. But judging from the how wide and deep the fissure was," Ramph jumped over a small pile of rocks, shaking the tunnel slightly and splashing the water in the water pipes. "They estimated it to be more than ten Onixs deep."

A thoughtful expression crossed the Rhyhorn's face and he hummed quietly. "That quick? They only had an examination a few days ago."

"Yeah, that quick." Ramph replied.

"And no one felt the ground move at all?" Rhyl asked.  
"The report said they felt something move, but mistook it for a Steelix."

Rhyl frowned. "That's quite a thing to mistake for an Steelix." Ramph shrugged.

"Well I can't exactly blame them for wanting to deny it, not with what happens eventually. Wait a moment," Ramph said, stopping next to one of the water pipes and putting a claw on top of it. He waited a moment before taking it off and turning back to Ryhl. "Pipes seem fine, I felt the water moving." Rhyl nodded and the two of them started to walk again. "But yeah, still nothing on the causes." Rhyl quietly hummed in response. He heard the general rumors before: cracks in the ground suddenly appeared along the ground, and the next thing was a massive fissure tearing up the ground. He heard reports of it taking from one day to several weeks, but once the cracks began to appear it was only a matter of time. And he heard of the destructive power of whatever they were: it completely demolished Earthswamp Town on an earlier occasion, taking the buildings down with it and forcing the survivors to evacuate.

As the two kept walking, they eventually came to a fork in their path: one path to their left and one to their right.

"Well, looks like the pipes are good for now, and it isn't raining that hard. I'll be back in a moment before our next pass," Ramph said before walking off to the left path labeled 'Exit'. Rhyl shook his head and simply sat down on the rock floor.

He could hear the quiet splashes of rain echoing in the tunnel from outside. It wasn't a heavy rain, so in truth it was possible they wouldn't have to do anything here or in the city itself. Rhyl glanced to the right tunnel, keeping an eye on it. The tunnel was dark so it was impossible to make anything out, but he tried to feel any vibrations in the rock, sensing if the structure was shifting. After a moment, he had felt something, but in the opposite direction. He started to turn and -

"Seeing things?" Rhyl tensed and spun around in a flash. The source of the voice, a Pokémon, stepped back at the reaction. Rhyl took a moment to see what the source was, and found it was his friend Winard.

"Ugh, sorry about that Winard," Rhyl shook his head. "I didn't expect you to be there. I was trying to sense rock vibrations but I found you walking instead. What brings you here?"

"Since you're still on duty, I'll be quick: it's about the trip tomorrow. I'm going to bring Tarvir with me, and wanted to tell you. I figured he could use something like this."

"Huh?" Rhyl asked, confused. The name completely slipped his mind at the moment. "Oh, yeah. Sure, thats fine." Winard looked at him quizzically, but seemingly shrugged it off. "It's just a supply trip. Did something happen?"

Winard chuckled. "Yeah, I told him he needs to keep studying before he starts practicing."

"Hmm." Rhyl thought. _I don't entirely agree, but it's your son._ "You aren't wrong if I may say," Rhyl said, "Its good advice to live by. He does need to be careful. He is still only twelve." Winard nodded in response. "With us however, he should be relatively safe."

"Yeah. Alright, I'm going to head back and get ready for the trip. You sure you'll be fine for work tomorrow?"

" I don't take this shift until late in the day, so as long as we are back before the sun starts to set we should be fine." Rhyl affirmed.

"Good. See you then."

"See you."

Rhyl watched him go before making his way in the same direction, hoping to find Ramph so they could finish the rest of the shift.

* * *

The next day, Tarvir found himself in the city library; the book "Metallurgy – A Pokémon's Guide To Metal" in his hands. He flipped a page on occasion but barely paid attention to the printed words. At the moment, the only thing that was registering in his head was the trip that he and his father were about to go on. He spent the majority of his time last night gathering stuff he might want to take. He knew he couldn't take everything, but he gathered the most useful stuff he could think of: a map of the area, some Oran berries, and an apple. It wasn't much, but he wanted to think it was a real expedition.

 _Ring._

 _Ring._

The bell signalling the hour rang, and Tarvir gathered his stuff and shot out of the library, dropping the books off as he went past the desk. He weaved in and out of the crowd as he headed home, careful not to knock anyone over.

"Hey, whats the rush?" A voice called out to him, and he stopped to find the source. He looked and found it belonging to Cynder, a Cyndaquil, one of his friends.

"We're going on a trip, and I can't miss it. Sorry, I'll tell you later!" He shouted and started running again, just barely noticed his friend shaking his head. Tunnel after tunnel, he finally arriving at the intersection to the Trading Post. After some time he made it to his house and knocked on the door and opened it.

"Pops, I'm back," He called out to the room. After a moment, Winard walked out of his bedroom carrying a large rucksack.

"Hello son," He responded. "Done studying?"

"Yes. Are we heading out now?" He said, clearly excited from the trip to Spirerock Town.

Winard laughed. "Yes we are. Do you have everything packed?" Tarvir didn't even respond as he ran into his room and dropped his books off on the small table. Turning around, he grabbed his small rucksack he packed last night and put it on as he walked back into the kitchen. "Okay, I'm ready," Winard smiled, amused at his response.

"Okay then, let's go," He said, walking towards the door. Once Tarvir exited, Winard locked the door behind them and signaled towards The Forge. "We need to pick someone up before we head out. He will be traveling with us." Tarvir nodded, somewhat curious. They walked through the tunnels and down the stairs but when they arrived at Winard's work floor, Winard pointed to his shop. "They're waiting at my stand." Tarvir nodded. As they approached the stand, Tarvir noticed a lone Pokémon standing there, obviously waiting for something. As the Pokémon became more clear, and Tarvir recognized it: it was a Rhyhorn. As if on cue, the Rhyhorn glanced to them and walked towards the two of them.

"There you are Winard," Rhyl said, acknowledging the pair. The three of them stopped as they met, and Rhyl turned towards Tarvir. "And you must be Tarvir. I'm one of your father's friends, Rhyl."

Tarvir smiled. "Nice to meet you!"

Rhyl nodded his head at him, then turned towards Winard. "I take it you two are ready to leave?"

"We are. Let's get going," Winard responded, and the three of them headed towards the stairs. Tarvir followed them as the two took the stairs down, all the way to the bottom floor. "Since I haven't told you yet Tarvir, Rhyl is one of my old friends. We've known each other for a long time now."

Rhyl nodded, agreeing. "Indeed. I remember when he took you in all those years ago." Winard nodded, but said nothing else. Once they reached the bottom of The Forge, Tarvir found a plethora of signs pointing in all directions.

"Let's see," Winard quietly said, looking down one of the tunnels. "We'll take this exit, it'll be easier to get out at this time." He pointed towards the southern tunnel; a sign labelled "Southern Exit" nailed above the path. The trio walked down the tunnel, and the sound of The Forge steadily grew quieter. They passed the occasional Pokémon, but none bothered them as they approached the exit of the city. Tarvir found himself getting excited, knowing he would finally be taking a trip outside of the city. Even the two Pokémon with him didn't dampen the idea of it being an expedition for him, but he humored the thought of it only being him walking outside the city.

"Ah yes, Winard. Please, continue out and be careful on your trip," The guard said, taking a bow and opened the large rock gate that blocked the entrance. As the stone gate opened, Tarvir could finally see the outside again: the clear sky, the winding rock paths that lead out of the city, and crowds of Pokémon that gathered along the road. Tarvir looked down, eyes drooping -

"Did you zone out Tarvir?" Tarvir blinked and realized what happened; his father shook him, taking him out of his daydream. He looked around and found they were quite a distance from the city exit, and found no crowd of Pokémon cheering his name. Embarrassment swept over him.

"Oh, uh, heh. I guess it did," He responded, scratching the spike on his head. Looking around, he saw the final path that led out of the rocky outcrop and into the grass meadows below.

Winard pointed down the path, "Once we take this route, we can start heading towards Spirerock Town. Shouldn't be more than an hour out." The trio walked down the path, and once they arrived at the road below, they walked towards their destination. Winard and Rhyl conversed with each other, but Tarvir barely paid attention to the conversation and instead, focused on the surroundings.

The day had cooperated with them: the sky was cloudless, the temperature was comfortable, and the breeze was soft. Tarvir was glad to finally get out of the city for the day, and relished the air. Whenever he had thought of the sky and being outside, he only could remember the feelings of being in Mt. Flame. Excitement grew in him as they marched on, and despite his father's earlier statement about not learning exploring, he couldn't help but feel that it was his calling.


	2. Bonus Chapter 1 - Working Conditions

Bonus Chapter 1 – The Steel and Steam of Modern Society

 _Excerpt from Chapter 6 – Working Conditions_

… While metal smelting had its grasp on the whole world, one of the next major downsides was everyone had excess byproducts from the smelting foundries; namely steam and smoke. While not hazardous in itself, it had a significant effect on the working conditions of Pokémon. Multiple reports had been found of Pokémon fainting from sheer heat in the foundries, and as a result, only rock and steel Pokémon could find work in them. While this is not an unexpected result, it did severely limit the working force and as a result, less Pokémon could learn the trades of smelting. The effect? It caused research to go into either removing the major contributing factors or relocating them somewhere else. The earliest modification came from simply doing the smelting outside, which assuredly had an impact. However, what about places like Mt. Flame, where simply going outside wasn't an option?

The moment came when a Rhydon named Rhilyn came up with a solution: An intricate set of metal pipes running to each forge that could relocate the excess steam and smoke from them. While there were current ideas in place already, the major idea was to use water to cool the steam and smoke, forcing the gases through the pipes in a certain direction. The idea was quickly adopted and produced: the ability to not only relocate the two gases, but the ability to connect an arbitrary amount of stations revolutionized the industry. For several months, the majority of the metal foundries shifted to producing these pipes. In the example of Mt. Flame, the inside temperature was drastically reduced as a result, and the foundry could allow heat-vulnerable Pokémon work inside once again. It even allowed the city to expand to its current state: a full city with trading posts, housing, and more. Even other cities around the world saw similar results, and the process expanded past that. The city of Mt. Flame took it further and used the pipes to replace other aging systems. While such systems of pipes and tunnels were already in place, the ability to direct the products in the pipes allowed fresh water and sanitation to every and all sections of the city.

Since the introduction, various other ideas have come into play, as the previous example. However, the next major thought process came into play: is there anything these byproducts can be used for? For example, could the steam that have any purpose? We will explore this idea in the next chapters, but we will say that there obviously have been modern uses for them. How do you think Pokémon travel between cities now?

Continuing on the topic of steam, another …

* * *

 **A/N:** Just a small chapter to flesh out the world.


	3. Chapter 2: Introductions

Chapter 2: Introductions

 _Three years later…_

" _Hey, it'll be alright. No matter what happens, we're together, right? Don't lose hope."_

" _I know, it's just…_ "

" _Just what?_ "

 _Panic._

" _Oh no, get out - I'll name him Pike! Seems like a good name for him!_ "

" _That's a great name!"_

" _We'll be best buddies, right Pike! Ow, haha! Just -_ "

" _Well, be careful on your trip, make sure to – wake up already! You passed out drunk."_

" _Ugh, I can feel the hangover already. Just give me some time to –"_

 _Silence._

It was a feeling similar to fire flowing through every point in his body. He would have groaned, made a noise, _anything_ , but his body simply refused to listen to him. He tried to listen for sounds even, but the constant pain put a filter over the ambiance. After a few moments, the last bits of consciousness he had finally fell away.

…

After some time, he regained his senses and noticed the pain had lessened. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, finding himself looking at the blurry images of the interior of a building. He blinked and his vision cleared slightly, and the image became clear: it was a ruin. Parts the structure was gone, and large chunks out the remaining part were carved out. Concrete walls, tiled floors. Small torches lined each of the walls and a stream of light filtered in from a large hole in the ceiling, lighting up the inside. Large concrete doors behind him and hallways in front. Puddles of water filled in the holes on the ground. The building looked completely empty of furniture, save for the rubble everywhere and not a single living thing in sight. _Where…_

Strengthening himself, he moved his hands and pushed off the ground, trying to sit up. His arms burned but he kept trying, managing to sit up after a moment. Finally, it hit him what felt off: his entire body felt smaller. He looked down and found a pair of small hands covered in yellow fur. He panicked, looking at his smaller body and found yellow fur all on him, and even a tail.

"Wha -" Dizziness assaulted him. Closing his eyes, he tried to calmly breathe in and out. After a small respite, he opened his eyes again.

 _But I was a human, why am I … yellow? And where…_ He tried to remember what happened but his memories were all out of line: events leading into unrelated events leading into days and even year gaps. He could recall the faces of people and blurred images, but the strange part was no names came to him except one: Pike. _Is that mine?_ Shaking his head, he looked around once again. In his search he found a small puddle of water in one of the broken tiles near him. He quickly made his way over, stumbling on occasion due to his legs. He looked down at the puddle and his reflection shocked him: the visage of a Pikachu looked right back at him.

 _Just what happened to me?_ He swallowed, and took a breath. _No, focus._ He looked around at the building. _And for now, that means getting out of here. And make sure I'm not dreaming._ Pike unsteadily stood up for a moment, still getting used to his body. He remembered the image of doors and looked behind and carefully walked over. They were double his height, but they seemed to have no handle on them. There was no defining feature on them, just a look of smooth carved stone. He gave them a push regardless, but they didn't budge. _Figures._ He pushed harder, but still nothing happened. No creak in the rock, or a sign of movement in them at all. He tried to peek between the doors, but he could only see darkness. He sighed and turned around, looking at the hole in the ceiling. _There's rubble, but nothing that I could pile up to get out that hole._ Frustrated, he walked towards the hallway on the other end. He looked down the hall, finding what looked like another room at the end of it. He thought he could see something moving, but it wasn't clear to him.

Shrugging, he took a few steps and walked down it. As he entered the room, a sudden feeling of déjà vu struck him: the room looked exactly the same as the old one, but with halls to the left and right of him. He blinked and looked around, but there was one difference: a lone Poochyena stalked the room, currently occupied with a smaller Pokémon . Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Pike took the moment to focus on the hallways. _I'll pick the left one I suppose._ Quietly moving around the center of the room, he took a moment to look at the Poochyena. It seemed to be occupied with a hurt Pidgey, fangs barred at the smaller creature. The next moment it lunged, biting it. The Pidgey let out a piercing scream and Pike grasped at his ears to muffle the sound, still keeping an eye on the Pokémon. _I have to keep it in my sights, and not turn my back on it._ Facing towards it, he sidled towards the hallway as quietly as possible. Despite his focus, his foot slipped and he fell backwards; the room echoed with the sound. The Poochyena immediately looked up and found Pike sitting on the ground. It dropped the severely injured Pidgey and growled at him.

The intimidation factor worked: fangs barred, it's muzzle stained red, and the feeling of fear spiked in Pike. _Okay, okay, get up. I don't think I can outrun it like this, and I'm not dying to this thing._ He quickly got on his feet and took a wide stance, thinking on how to fight it. _I don't even know how to fight like this!_ The Poochyena, oblivious to Pike's inner thought, lunged right at him. _Okay,_ _it's about fifteen meters away, and I can't waste time trying to learn to use electricity. He looks about my height, and possibly heavier. Wait, heavier…_ The Pokémon was in a full sprint, and was quickly halfway to him. _Can he stop at that speed?_ Pike shifted his weight to the right, getting ready to spring at the right moment. Just as the Poochyena was about to bite, Pike jumped to the side and the Pokémon slid right past him and into the wall. _Yes!_ With the Poochyena dazed from the impact, Pike ran up to it and threw a fist at its head. The Pokémon staggered into the wall, and Pike shook his fist from the stinging sensation. _This might not have been smart…_ The dog growled once again and turned back to Pike, rearing to bite. Pike jumped back, creating some space between the two. The Poochyena howled and sprinted at Pike once again. Letting it get closer, Pike decided to hit it with his tail this time and spun, trying to land a hit on its head. His tail collided with it and the Poochyena staggered slightly. Yet, it was undeterred and bit down on his tail as it passed.

Pain shot through his body once again, and Pike fell on the floor clumsily. _Definitely not dreaming…_ Blood stained his fur, and Pike tried to focus through the pain. _I need to end this fast. How the hell do Pikachu use electricity?_ The Poochyena growled and pulled on his tail, intent on finishing him. Thinking of nothing else, Pike stood up and jumped on the dog. He grabbed both sides of the Poochyena's muzzle and pulled them apart, freeing his tail. Then, he threw all his weight on the dog, dropping them both to the ground and holding on tight. It growled and shook, trying to throw Pike off of it, and Pike looked around to find something. The two flailed, and Pike noticed small hole in the wall above _The wall?_ He let go of the Poochyena's muzzle and stood on the dog, jumping as high as he could into the air. The height he achieved surprised him and he reached the gap in the wall and grabbed it, and looked down at his foe. The Poochyena had got on its feet and looked where Pike jumped to, growling at him. _I hope this works…_ Pike readied himself, and jumped off the wall into the air, gaining as much height as he could. As he started coming back down, he angled his body and threw his weight into the Poochyena below, crashing them both into the concrete tile below and sending dust into the air.

Pike coughed from cloud of dirt, and looked down at his target. No growling, whimpering, or howling came from it; the only sound was the soft sound of breathing.

 _Ugh…_ Coughing some more, he slid off and fell onto the floor next to them, keeping his eyes on the downed foe. Seeing that it was finally unconscious, Pike noticed his own heavy breathing and coughed again, pulling his tail into his hands. He could make out drops of blood along the floor that followed him and the pain echoed through his body. _I need to find out how to use electricity._ He put pressure on the wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. After a few moments he managed but the pain still spiked on occasion. _If that Poochyena was here, then there has to be a way out somewhere._ He spent a moment looking between the halls before giving up deciding, and stood up as he took the hall near him.

The hall had a few turns in it, and Pike spent the time trying to figure out how to use his electricity. When he focused, he could feel a small current moving through him. _It almost tingles. Maybe that's how?_ He tried contracting his muscles, but found he could only make the air smell like ozone. Frustrated at his lack of progress, he moved quicker through the hall before finding it emptying into another similar room, with one distinct difference: a pair of stairs situated in the middle of it. Pike internally rejoiced, and after sweeping the room he ran up the stairs where he found himself outside. He stood on what seemed to be the top of the building, and ruins littered the roof as well. Small stone arches laid out across the roof: some broken, some whole, and rubble everywhere. He could see trees a distance away, giving the impression the building was high up, and a slow wind blew through the ruins. _Finally, I'm out of there!_ With the open air embracing him and the sun halfway between noon and dusk, he ran towards what looked like the exit. Running under a set of overhead arches, he found another set of stairs and ran down them as he looked at his surroundings.

Below him, he could see a crossroad of dirt paths that appeared to be in the middle of a forest, and a small town a distance on the other side of it. He took another brief glance to see if he could find anyone from his vantage point, but found nothing. He was undeterred however, and bounded down the last set of steps before hitting the dirt road and stopping. He rested for a moment to get his breath back, looking back at the ruin. Shrugging, he continued down the dirt road towards the town. A pair of Pidgeys glided across the overhead. The occasional Bellsprout frolicked through the foliage. It was a scene of peacefulness, but it barely registered to Pike.

 _Okay, so to sum it up: I was a human turned into a Pokémon. Every time I try to sort through my memories, they're never clear. Was I a trainer of some sorts? No, wait, could it…_ Pike shook his head. _To top it off, I have no idea how any of this happened._ He growled. _Great. Just great._

He continued his walk towards the crossroads and he stopped and looked around once he arrived. At this point he was hoping to find something or someone, but after looking down both paths, there was still no one. Nor was there anyone ahead or behind. The only thing he found was a trio of signs at a corner of the roads: one pointing to the town ahead of him, one pointing right, and pointing left. With all three signs written in some illegible language, Pike took the safe route ahead to the town, hoping he would have more luck there.

The town looked much larger up close than before; the buildings started to tower over Pike, and the number of them gave the impression it was once thriving. There was an eerie feeling as he approached; he anticipated actually seeing movement in town, but as he got closer there was nothing. What caught him off guard however was the pure destruction everywhere. Massive crevices ran along the ground and under partially destroyed buildings. What seemed to be a welcome sign was half gone, written in the same illegible language as before. Pike looked at the other buildings, but even the ones without a massive fissure beneath were either chipped or partially destroyed as well. _Just…what happened here?_ Had it not been for the lack of foliage growing along the buildings, Pike would have mistaken the town as a past ruin. Cautiously, he approached and walked past the entrance arches.

The destruction was even more obvious as he passed the entrance: buildings turned into partial buildings which turned into plain rubble. Black scorches littered the dusty ground, and all the vegetation had been burned away. _An earthquake perhaps?_ He looked around, yet found not a single being in sight. He could see what seemed to be wild Pokémon, but even they avoided going through the town: Pidgeys flew around the perimeter and Ratattas ran along the outside. _No, not an earthquake. There's no way this could have been an earthquake. Just what kind of world did I get dropped into?_

He took a path around some of the buildings and just as he passed along one, he saw a shadow move along the roof of one. He immediately tensed and quieted his steps, hoping that whatever it was didn't see him yet. He backed against the wall of the building next to him, and slowly peeked around the corner.

"Hey, careful. You might scare some poor Pokémon off doing that," A male voice said, emitting from above and behind him. Pike jumped forward and spun, putting some distance between him and whoever spoke. What he found was probably his least expected result: a small Larvitar bounding off the roof of a building and landing on the dirt below. Yet what threw Pike off the most was not the Pokémon itself but rather what it wore: pieces of metal were strapped across it in some places. _Is that…armor?_ It slowly approached and stopped, looking at the flabbergasted Pike. "Woah, you look rough there." Pike was speechless, and tried to respond.

"I – what – " He started, completely confused at the other being. It tilted its head in confusion as it stopped next to him. Up until now, Pike had simply focused on the next task: get out of the room, escape the ruin, head to nearest town. Yet, as the Larvitar ahead of him had started talking as if nothing was wrong, jumping off the roof in the middle of a ruin, the absurdity of the situation dawned on Pike: this was all real.

A small chuckle bounded out of Pike, and before long he was guffawing uncontrollably. He stopped after a few moments, wincing from a bruise.

"Uh, you okay there?" The Larvitar cautiously asked. Recovering from his laughing, Pike couldn't even tell if the Larvitar was accusatory or genuinely concerned, not that he could tell anyway.

"I don't even know how to answer that," Pike responded. "Between a talking Pokémon and your train, I would think I'm dreaming."

"Well you're a talking Pikachu, so I don't know what you're saying." Now Pike could sense a slight accusation in the Larvitar's tone.

"No, I was –" Pike paused. _Would anyone even believe if I told them I was a human? It might be best to play it safe for now, not to mention if they even know what a human is. Play it by ear._ "- on an expedition. I got caught off guard and had to fight some Pokémon off and lost my stuff. I'm just high-strung right now," Pike finished, hoping the Larvitar bought his story. The Larvitar looked at him for a moment, considering his story.

"You must be a pretty good explorer, though you look not much older than me." The Larvitar responded. _I guess my age changed, though it wasn't much older anyway…_ "Or a bad explorer, seeing as you don't have any armor even," _Wait, armor?_

"It… slows me down. Can I ask you something? It's for my … expedition, and I'm not from this area." The Larvitar shrugged, pacing around.

"That's why you're here? Not many Pokémon come to this town anymore." He interjected, looking down. He shrugged once more before looking up at Pike. "Well, that aren't just passing by."

"That's another question, but later. First, what do you know about humans, or humanity?"

"Humans? I think I remember my father saying stories about them…" He thought. "From what I remember, they're all gone or something?" Pike's blood froze. "I can't remember them too well and it's vague; I would have to ask him. I mean if you want, you can follow me back. You can get some rest at the exploration division there too. You look like you need it." Trying to process the information and slightly hoping for more, Pike thought it over. _Odd, this Larvitar seems to trust me for no reason._

"Uh, maybe. Where is he, and you for that matter?" Pike asked.

"I'm Tarvir." The Larvitar pointed to himself to reinforce his name. "And you?"

"I'm Pike. Nice to meet you," Pike responded. Tarvir smiled in response.

"My father is in Mt. Flame, and only one of the most famous metal smiths there!" Tarvir exclaimed, clearly proud. Pike looked over the armor the Larvitar wore. _Maybe knowing a smith wouldn't be too bad either. And an exploration division? I might learn something there._

"That doesn't sound too bad. My other question though, is what happened here?" Tarvir looked at him as if he grew another head.

"Where have you been? Oh right, you said you aren't from this area." He looked apologetic. "Sorry. Anyway," He continued. "This was Rockspire Town. It got destroyed by one of those fissures a year ago, and it's been abandoned since." Tarvir responded in a morose tone, but cheered up a moment later. Pike was curious at the mention of a fissure, as the way Tarvir casually passed it in the sentence made it apparently a common occurrence. It also didn't evade his notice the saddened tone in Tarvir's voice. "Anyway if you want to follow me, Mt. Flame shouldn't be more than an hour out." Pike nodded in response. _But if he's going to lead me…_

"By the way, why were you here?" Pike pointedly asked. Tarvir stopped, but didn't turn around. He laughed before responding.

"You see those fissures all around? Do you think anyone would notice if a Pokémon no one knew just happened to fall in one?" He said and turned around, a smirk on his face. Pike immediately readied himself to fight, hoping to intimidate the Larvitar more than actually fight. Yet before he even tried to attack, the Larvitar burst out laughing and fell to the ground.

"Oh, you should have seen the look on your face!" He laughed, almost rolling on the dirt. Pike grimaced, not in the mood for whatever the Larvitar was doing. It laughed for a moment longer and stood up, a chuckle still bubbling out of him. "I'm sorry, but seeing you just waltz up here, I had to say that." His smile slowly fell away, and he responded seriously. "Seriously, you know what is inside those fissures, right? The mystery dungeons?" Pike was about to shake his head in confusion, but nodded as he remembered his story. "I uh, always come by here when I can, but I never have the courage to enter one of them." He looked away embarrassed, scratching his head. "I thought I would have the courage to go in one today, but you came along and, well…" He trailed off. Pike's irritation slowly wore off at the response, but didn't completely disappear. Curiousity did strike him though. _All this time and he never tried to go in? Either way..._

"So, do you still plan to lead me to this city or no?" Pike asked, prompting the Pokémon.

Tarvir held up its hands at Pike, signaling peace. "I am. Sorry again."

"Then lead the way." Tarvir lead Pike away from the town and towards the exit. They kept pace along the road, and Pike used the time to think about the exploration division that was apparently there. _If I sign up, I might be able to learn more about what's happening in this world. And hopefully what happened to me. Okay, that's the plan so far._

"So," Pike was taken out of his thoughts and looked over to the suddenly curious Tarvir. "What were you exploring? I always wanted to go, but never had the time. And, well, like I said earlier." Pike swallowed, and thought over a response. He tried to think of something believable, and a brief moment later, had an excuse.

"I was trying to research about humans," Pike responded. "Like your story, they had suddenly disappeared and I was trying to find out why."

"Oh, interesting! What did you discover so far?"

Pike sighed, ducking under a low tree branch. "Nothing yet. I was just exploring that ruin over there," Pike pointed to the ruin he came from earlier. "I found nothing in it though."

"Oh," The Larvitar responded with slight disappointment. "I heard stories about that mystery dungeon, but I don't think anyone ever made sure they were true. Well, hopefully my father remembers something about humans. And I imagine some people at the Mountain Exploration Division would know something too."

"Yeah, I hope so." Though Pike was curious about the one line Tarvir said: _it was a mystery dungeon. I didn't notice anything strange…_

The two of them approached the crossroads, and Tarvir took a left and continued walking with Pike following as they headed to Mt. Flame through the forest.

Along the way, Pike remembered that he needed to practice electricity and started once again. He focused on the electricity flowing through him, something that he had gotten used to doing. Trying to remember the posture the Pikachu took, he closed his eyes and contracted his muscles and focused on the electricity moving away from him. He felt closer to achieving it, but once again only smelled ozone in the air around him. He tried once more, but only achieved the same result. _Maybe I should try mentally directing it?_ Pike took a deep breath and exhaled before contracting his muscles and mentally directing the flow of electricity away from him, keeping his eyes open this time. A bright yellow beam shot out of him in a wild fashion before crashing into the ground ahead of him, and Pike stopped and mentally cheered. _Yes! One thing down!_ He took a moment before practicing once again, and the same thin beam shot out at the spot he focused on. _Okay, progress. Now I can defend myself better, other than slamming into Pokémon._

"Easy there, you might hit someone." Tarvir said, wary of Pike near him.

"Sorry, I'm trying to keep awake." Pike quickly said, covering up his practice. Pike looked up at the sky, and the sun was slowly starting to set. He looked into the distance, but only found a large mountain a fair distance ahead of them, and forests all around: no sign of a town or anything.

"Isn't there some way quicker to this city? We've almost been walking an hour," Pike questioned, rubbing his aching legs. He hoped they would have some kind of transportation, like a Rapidash or something fast.

"Not from this direction. They haven't run the lines on this side yet," Tarvir responded. Pike looked confused, but said nothing in response. _Lines?_ Tarvir turned around to look at him, "Besides, we're almost there!" He exclaimed, pointing to the mountain ahead.

"The mountain?"

"Yeah. Mt. Flame, remember?"

Pike shook his head. "Right."

"It isn't too much further though, and at this time it should be quieter so we'll take the Southern Entrance. Quicker than the other, smaller ones."

Eventually they reached the base of the hills and Pike noticed another dirt path leading up. What caught his attention the most however was the Pokémon streaming in and out along the path. _More Pokémon. I don't think I'll get used to this for a while._ He didn't anticipate seeing all different kinds: ranging from Golems to Blastoise to Turtwigs, and many others. Pike simply expected to see rock types due to the mountain, but seeing water and grass showed him that the city had to be huge. He kept looking around at the Pokémon as they headed up, and in his search he saw rows of metal lines running out the base of the mountain a fair distance away. They ran out and split in all directions, yet none of the lines ran out towards the direction they came from. _Those must be the lines Tarvir said._ Pike started walking closer to them when Tarvir got his attention.

"Hey careful."

"I was just, uh, curious. They didn't have those from where I was from." Tarvir simply looked at him, but said nothing. Pike thought he was getting suspicious at this point and made a mental note to be more careful in the future.

"They're the tracks for the steam cars. Surely you should have known that."

"My expeditions keep me away from civilization for long periods of time," Pike chuckled nervously. Tarvir was about to respond, but a blast of fire shot out of the tunnel. It flew past the duo and exploded into the air, sending a small wave of heat towards them and a bright orange flash lit the area. Tarvir turned towards the tunnel entrance along with a few other nearby Pokémon, completely forgetting their conversation.

"Oh, one of the cars are about to come out!" He exclaimed, pointing. Sure enough, a moment later Pike saw a black blur shoot out of the tunnel, following one of the sets of tracks out away from them towards the falling sun. A cloud of white smoke followed the vehicle, dispersing into a thin mist behind it. Pike saw what looked like multiple sections to it, but the vehicle moved so quick he didn't have time to see it at their distance. Only a brief moment passed and Pike could barely see the vehicle anymore, disappearing into the forest.

"I never get tired of seeing that!" Tarvir shouted, ignoring some of the Pokémon looking in his direction. "They do that so if any Pokémon is in the way, well, move!" He clarified and turned back towards the road to the city. Pike had to admit it was neat and wished he got a closer view of the vehicle, but he figured he would have time later for that. He ran a bit to catch up to Tarvir and followed him through a series of twists and turns through the road. Along the way they passed more frequent groups of Pokémon, ranging from single Pokémon to larger groups of a dozen. Eventually, the two arrived at a rocky bridge which extended over a drop in the rocks. At the other end, Pike could see a large opening in the rocks and more Pokémon moving around on the other side.

"Well, here we are," Tarvir opened his arms wide. "Mt. Flame!" He started running towards the bridge, signaling back towards Pike. "Come on Pike!" Pike quickly ran to catch up as they crossed the bridge into the city. There seemed to be no line to get in, as Pokémon arriving simply walked through the opening before dispersing in all directions. As they crossed the bridge and walked through the entrance, the first thing Pike noticed was the warmth. It was not entirely uncomfortable, but Pike thought it could eventually be annoying. The second thing he noticed was the sound of the Pokémon talking. It emitted from the Pokémon around him, and even seemed to echo down the main hallway across from the entrance. _I wonder how many Pokémon are in the city._ Pike looked around to find Tarvir and saw him talking with another Pokémon, which Pike assumed to be a guard.

" – GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE FINE TARVIR - BZZT." It was a Magneton. Pike noticed how friendly it was with Tarvir, judging from how it knew his name. As he approached, its three eyes centered on Pike. "BZZ – AND WHO MIGHT THIS BE?"

"This is an explorer I met on the way here, but not from the area. He's Pike, Tarvir gestured to Pike, who felt uncomfortable at the scrutiny of the Magneton.

"Hello there." Pike waved, hoping it seemed friendly enough.

"BZZT – YOU LOOK LIKE YOU WERE EATEN BY A MIGHTYENA – BZZT. I IMAGINE YOU ARE HEADING TO THE MOUNTAIN EXPLORATION DIVISION NOW, EXPLORER – BZZZ?" It asked. Pike thought it over and agreed, thinking it was probably a good idea.

"Yeah, definitely. I need a refresher, you know?" Pike responded.

"BZZ – AGREED. DO YOU KNOW WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?" It asked, and Pike caught himself from lying since he did need to know where to go.

"Uh, no actually."

"GO DOWN THE MAIN HALL AND WHEN YOU REACH THE FORGE, FOLLOW THE SIGNS POINTING TO THE DIVISION – BZZT."

"Thanks, I'll head there now." Pike said gratefully, and looked towards Tarvir.

"Well Tarvir, thanks for your help in getting me here. I think I'll head to the Division for now," Pike said, hoping that Tarvir would leave him now. To him, it wasn't that he didn't enjoy Tarvir's company, but he thought that with his current situation, he shouldn't get too personal with anyone lest they start thinking he's insane. While he was good at lying with his cover story, Pike thought, he knew he could only keep it up so long.

"Uh, yeah," Tarvir was abashed at the situation, looking at the ground. He looked nervous, clearly wanting to ask something. "Well, I know this might seem strange, but do you think I could join you on your explorations?" Pike started to internally panic, but Tarvir continued on. "I mean, you seem to be decent at it since you're still alive," _Gee, thanks._ "And I always wanted to be an explorer and maybe figure out what those fissures are, you know?" Tarvir looked back towards the Forge, obviously occupied by something. "I don't think my father would be too kind about it, but it's what I want to do."

 _He thinks I'm decent at explorations? Great, if he joins me and realizes that I literally have no experience, I would be offering him training that I don't have._ Pike sighed, ready to let him down. "Look, I – "

"I mean, you don't have to decide right now!" Tarvir waved his hands to visually stop Pike's words. "I have to go back to my father for now, but how about tonight at ten we can meet up here? It's when the steam pipes shoot steam ten times in the Forge. You'll hear it going off from anywhere."

Pike had no response but at this point, but seeing how much the Larvitar wanted to do this and explore, he figured he owed it to him to at least think it over. "Okay, I'll think it over."

Tarvir's face lit up at the response. "Thank you! Okay, we can meet up later!" He responded and shot off towards the Forge, clearly excited. Personally, Pike felt he could never match his enthusiasm and felt more exhausted just watching him.

"BZZT – HE IS EXCITABLE SOMETIMES." Pike had forgotten about the Magneton from earlier and slightly jumped. The Magneton didn't notice and continued talking. "GOOD LUCK IN YOUR EXPLORATIONS – BZZT."

Pike quietly chuckled. "Thanks." Pike was about to leave, but it felt awkward for him before adding, "And good luck with your guard duty."

"AFFIRMATIVE – BZZT." The Magneton acknowledged before hovering away back to the entrance. Pike took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. _Okay, let's do this._ He headed towards the Forge and hopefully, he would be able to start finding answers in the Mountain Exploration Division.


End file.
